


Bring That Summer

by pommenade



Category: Fantastic Four (Comicverse), Spider-Man - All Media Types
Genre: Cooking, M/M, Miscommunication, Secret Identity, Secret Relationship, Social Media
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2018-11-24
Packaged: 2019-08-28 09:37:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16720881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pommenade/pseuds/pommenade
Summary: Juggling the duties of Spider-Man as well as his life as CEO of Parker Industries was easy. Peter Parker had years of practice. Add in a clandestine relationship with Johnny Storm and things got a bit more complicated. Add in Johnny's Instagram account, and suddenly Peter's life is impossible.





	Bring That Summer

**Author's Note:**

> My first fic! First big bang! First Spideytorch! This is incredibly self indulgent and sappy and I refuse to apologise. Thank you to @asandygraves for their wonderful art, [here](http://asandygraves.tumblr.com/post/180434736516/art-for-bring-that-summer-the-fic-i-was-paired-up). Title is from Hey Rosetta!'s Kintsukuroi.
> 
> Thank you to Traincat for organizing the Spideytorch Big Bang and continuing to be an inspiration and guiding star.

Waking up in a sun warm, but sadly empty bed, Peter felt like maybe this could be a good day. Or even a great day. Johnny had pointedly left out a shirt and tie for him; one day Peter had come home to a closet full of clothing he didn’t recognise and a very smug looking boyfriend. He knew better than to question how Johnny had gotten his measurements in the first place. There was coffee and a still warm muffin, and it almost made up for waking up alone.

The good mood lasted into the office, right up until Mary Jane texted him nothing but, “ _looking good, tiger ;)_ ” Peter’s brain flew into a panic and flashed through several possible compromising photo opportunities from last night’s patrol. A quick look at his Spidey-less newsfeed left him sighing in relief, and with some growing confusion. Asking MJ outright felt like giving in. Peter leaned back in his chair and let himself slowly spin. His mind drifted to the fuzzy memory of Johnny kissing him before he left that morning. Hadn’t he sounded a little... gleeful?

Peter sat back up, looking at his phone with dread. Probably not that bad? If it was bad, Harry would have yelled at him already. Bad enough that MJ was teasing him, but also mild enough that MJ felt okay teasing him. It was fine!

Cautiously, Peter pulled up Twitter. Scrolling past Mary Jane talking up a new interview, photos of Jan’s latest collection, some tech news, and... there. From @johnnystorm: “ _definitely hard getting out of bed some mornings_ ” and a link to something on his Instagram. And _that_ was... Peter’s bed. And Peter. No face, just his bare back and head buried under a pillow, sunlight slanting across the sheets. Sheets that were dipping dangerously low. Could be anyone. And if the comments underneath were any indication, people were very interested in finding out who. Some of the guesses were pretty flattering. More were downright rude.

Johnny. He needed to call Johnny. Peter carefully uncurled his fists and pulled up Johnny’s number, only to get a cheery, “ _You’ve reached the Human Torch! If you need me to light your fire, leave a message after the beep._ ” Peter listened to the brief tone before ending the call with a huff.

This technically wasn’t an emergency. And was probably more of an in-person kind of conversation. Hopefully, the Unity Squad didn’t have Johnny chasing space hippos or something for a week. 

Peter almost thought Johnny in space would prevent social media updates, but that had been proven very wrong in the past. One of his most popular photos was a selfie in front of an exploding nebula. Freaking Reed Richards and his extra supergenius smartphones.

Resisting the urge to chuck his own phone across his office, Peter instead (reasonably!) put it on a far corner of his desk. Not thinking about things always made the problem go away. Patented Parker solution. Maybe this would all blow over by lunch. And Peter definitely wouldn’t obsess over it for the next three hours.

\--

Peter had really meant to talk to Johnny. He really really had. But Johnny had blown in that evening, sparks still in his hair and eyes glowing like embers, grinning like he only did after a good fight. So, of course Peter had to help him shower off all that post-battle dirt. Which led to other shower activities, which led to some bed activities, and it would have been mean to ruin a good mood.

It was hard to be anything but content with Johnny drowsy and warm against his side, empty take-out boxes strewn across the coffee table. 

(The argument over Sweetgreen vs some place with actual food had been the one heated moment of the night. Peter refused anything with raw beets in it.

“Some foods are meant to be cooked! A lot of foods! Most foods, even!”

“And some people shouldn’t just rely on stupid spider powers to stop them from getting scurvy!”

In the end, Peter had shamelessly taken advantage of Johnny’s weakness for pirozhki. Whatever Johnny had been doing all day, he needed real food. Might be the only food he’d eaten all day.)

Glancing away from whatever movie Johnny had picked, Peter looked down at Johnny’s long lashes shadowing his cheeks in the light of the television. It had seemed harmless to let Johnny choose since Peter knew he’d be out pretty quickly. Which was why Ewan MacGregor was singing some song on an elephant for consumptive Nicole Kidman as Peter tried to gather whatever courage he had left.

“Hey, so... About Twitter. And the other ones. All those things.” Peter was supposed to be a genius tech billionaire and he was off to a great start.

Johnny snorted a little, eyes closed, “Did you lock yourself out again? I can’t help when your security questions are so weird.”

Peter pinched Johnny’s side, then pet him soothingly when Johnny yelped. “That hasn’t happened for at least a month. And I still think it was Stark doing some petty hacking.”

He ignored Johnny’s giggle as he mumbled something that sounded like, “Paranoid weirdo,” and pushed on.

“It’s actually more about your stuff? Maybe not all of them. Most of them?” Peter idly started petting Johnny’s hair as he tried to figure out a way to phrase things that wouldn’t get him roasted.

“I just uh... Kind of think posting semi-nudes when my aunt follows you isn’t appropriate. Also, where my exes can see it. And probably every superhero who’d laugh at me.”

Peter glanced down at Johnny, having fully expected him to mock him by now for saying something wasn’t appropriate like a fussy middle school teacher, only to find him huffing gentle breaths against Peter’s chest as he slept. Grimly thinking that it was probably for the best that Johnny had missed that disaster, Peter curled an arm around Johnny as he carefully lifted him up to take him to bed.

The whole Instagram thing probably didn’t matter that much anyways.

\--

Harry was looking at him over the unagi roll. A capital ‘L’ look. it was enough to make Peter put down his chopsticks with a sigh. “Something on my face, Har?”

He hesitated, and Peter figured he had enough time to grab a nigiri, which meant his mouth was unfortunately full when Harry semi-casually asked, “So you know the Human Torch, right?”

After Peter recovered from his coughing fit, he managed to croak out, “Kind of? He’s been friends with Spider-Man for ages, so I’ve met him a couple times.”

Harry was squinting at him and Peter felt a little hunted. He was mostly sure Harry didn’t have the Goblin costume hanging in a closet somewhere. Pulling out his phone, Harry flicked through a few things before showing him a picture of... a cupboard shelf of handheld fruit pies? It looked familiar and Peter glanced below it: Johnny’s Instagram. That was Peter’s cupboard. “ _when bae eats like a six year old. or a sixty year old._ ”

Peter had no idea what his face was doing, and he looked up to see Harry giving him an unimpressed look. Kind of matched the one the sushi chef was giving him.

“I don’t think anyone else in the city-- on the planet! Likes those stupid pies as much as you do. What’s Johnny Storm doing in your kitchen?”

For a brief, wild moment, Peter thought about lying. Johnny Storm had broken in! He’s delusional! Somewhere there’s an exact replica of Peter’s kitchen, complete with fruit pies!

Harry’s face was saying that wouldn’t cut it this time. They always said the best lies had some truth.

“Sometimes he’s in my kitchen because... we’re seeing each other. I’m dating Johnny Storm.” Well, that was all truth. Peter soldiered on. “We’ve been keeping it quiet because y’know... big celebrity superhero, people actually recognise me now as someone other than, ‘that one guy on the subway.’”

He shrugged, picking apart a dynamite roll. “We’re trying out the normal thing. As normal as it can get for either of us.”

Harry chewed on his cheek for a moment before saying, “And by ‘sometimes,’ you mean...?”

Peter threw back his head with a groan. “Fine, it’s basically his now! I don’t know what happened to my old Mr. Coffee or that one frying pan that I had from when me and you were roommates!”

The trade-off was that Peter was getting professional level cooking almost every night, so he couldn’t complain too much. Harry was still frowning at him, and Peter only had a moment of dread before he asked, “What?”

Harry was quiet for a moment, obviously figuring out how to phrase things, before sitting up and looking Peter in the eye.

“I know it’s kind of your thing to date incredibly beautiful people that are way out of your league--” Peter opened his mouth to protest, and Harry waved him off. “I just think you don’t know what you’re getting into here.”

That wasn’t anywhere close to what Peter had been expecting. He felt a wave of rising irritation and tried to keep most of the bite out of his voice as he asked, “And what does _that_ mean?”

“Money changes people, Pete. This isn’t like, no longer having to eat Cup Noodle the entire week before rent’s due. You’re a billionaire now!”

Harry’s fingers twisted on his chopsticks as he stared at Peter grimly. “Even if you think you haven’t changed, the way people look at you has. And that includes Johnny Storm.”

Peter clenched his jaw against the instinctual rebuttal that Harry _Osborn_ would of course know how money could poison people. It felt like an impossible task to convey how deeply he knew Johnny without going into their long history.

He tried to say, “Johnny’s not like that,” and it sounded weak even as he said it. Even if it was the truth.

Harry’s mouth twisted, and he circled his chopsticks in the air. “Is he why you bought the Baxter Building? That statue? Most guys start out with flowers.”

Peter groaned, head thrown back. Harry was never letting that go. 

“That was before we started dating! It was just... important.” To Johnny. Who had needed something to hold onto after months of no news and no family.

Peter sighed, squeezing the bridge of his nose before looking at Harry again.

“It also felt wrong that everyone forgot the Fantastic Four so quickly. After everything they’ve done.”

Harry still looked skeptical, but he let his shoulders drop as he ran a hand through his hair. Looked like Peter got a pass just this once.

“You’ve kept it quiet this long, so maybe you actually know what you’re doing. But I still have to warn you, it’s different now. A relationship blow-up for Peter Parker is one thing, but for CEO of Parker Industries Peter Parker, it’s not just going to affect you.” Harry had that steel that always made his eyes seem a little too green to Peter.

He continued, “If you get any major bad press, the company’s image would be affected, and that could mean jobs.”

Peter had been punched through brick walls that had felt gentler than this. It was a low blow, even if rationally, he knew Harry had a point.

“You know I care about the company. The _people_ in the company.” Peter paused, trying to find the words. It felt wrong to weigh Johnny against something Peter had never wanted, hadn’t built himself.

Harry’s face softened, and he leaned back in his chair. “I know. And I know you’re big on responsibility. I’m just asking you to be careful.”

He snorted. “God knows Johnny Storm has never been one for subtlety. Surprized he hasn’t been skywriting that he’s fucking Peter Parker.”

Peter frowned. “Johnny’s not like that. Not really. The celebrity stuff is just... y’know.”

He waved a hand in the air vaguely. Saying it was all an act didn’t feel fair when Johnny was one of the most genuine people he knew. And maybe he wanted to hoard that side of Johnny just for himself. Keep it safe when Johnny too often left himself vulnerable.

Harry looked unconvinced. Which, to be fair, was mostly Peter’s fault.

“He’s basically a celebrity for a living, Pete. Drives racecars! Which is one of the flashiest sports you can pick. It’s not like--” Harry broke off, looking contrite, but Peter could feel something ugly welling up inside him and he wanted to push.

“Like what, Harry.”

Harry huffed, and appeared to steel himself before saying, “It’s not like he’s much without the Fantastic Four.”

A red haze clouded Peter’s sight for a moment, and he had to carefully uncurl a fist before he broke the table. Harry wasn’t the only one who thought this; some newspapers had published much worse. It still felt unbelievably cruel considering how much Johnny had sacrificed.

Peter kept his voice carefully even as he said, “Harry, we’ve been friends a long time. But I’m serious about Johnny. So I’d appreciate it if you kept that kind of thing to yourself.”

To his credit, Harry did look slightly ashamed. Too little, too late. Peter looked down at their half-finished lunch and decided he’d lost his appetite.

“I’ll see you back at the office.” Maybe the expense reports would be mindnumbing enough that Peter could forget this entire conversation.

\--

Peter stepped inside the apartment and sighed, loosening his tie before calling out, “Johnny!”

A blond head popped up over the back of the couch. “Why do you sound like Ricky Ricardo?”

“Does that make you Lucy?” Unknotting the tie completely, Peter walked over and leaned over Johnny with a grin, before frowning at the contents of Johnny’s tablet. “Damn, I think some of my college courses cost less than these shoes.”

Johnny ignored him, batting his eyelashes, “I could pull off the redhead thing. A new look for the Human Torch!”

“It’ll clash with your costume.” Peter gave in and pressed a kiss to Johnny’s cheek, Johnny turning his head for a proper one, soft and sweet. Fully aware of how sappy he looked, Peter couldn’t help but smile when they broke apart. “Hi.”

“Hi,” Johnny smiled back, gentle warmth in his eyes. Until: “You’re just worried about the carpet not matching the drapes.”

Peter pulled himself over the back of the couch, tackling Johnny down onto it as he cackled.

“I’m just saving you from all the fire crotch jokes! And what would your manscaping friend think?” 

Johnny shrieked, wriggling in Peter’s grasp. “Who do you think manscapes! And how would you know!”

“A spider always knows!” A stray knee caught Peter in the side and he grunted. “You’re still way too pointy, babe.”

Johnny glared at him from where he was pinned under Peter’s weight, breathless from their tussle.

“Maybe you shouldn’t attack someone who was just innocently doing some online window shopping!”

Peter thought a lot of those shoes had too much former cow in them to be completely innocent and said so. Probably should have expected the cushion to the head.

They wrestled a bit more until Johnny was laughing helplessly as Peter kissed at his neck. Peter could almost forget about the disastrous lunch with Harry when he had Johnny warm and giggling beneath him. Still...

“Get up to anything today besides spend too much money on those shoes with the red bit?”

Johnny smacked Peter lightly on the shoulder, pushing at him so he could sit up. “I know you know they’re not just ‘shoes with red bits.’”

Upright, Johnny stretched his back before flopping right back into Peter’s space again. He pressed his cheek against Peter’s shoulder and stifled a yawn. 

“Pretty quiet day. Did some cooking. Made ricotta for the lasagna that’s in the oven.”

Peter didn’t even know someone could just make cheese in their own home. Cheese for lasagna, even. That did ping something in Peter’s memory, and he pulled his phone out. 

“Lasagna like... this one?”

There on Johnny’s Instagram, collection of photos: a precise rainbow line up of perfectly diced vegetables, what must have been the aforementioned ricotta, and finally a lasagna ready for the oven. The caption underneath read, “ _way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. helps if you can sneak in some extra vegetables. #lasagnaoflove_ ”

Johnny tilted the phone towards himself, face unusually blank. “That’s the one. I thought you didn’t check this kind of stuff.”

It was true, Peter had frequently and loudly said he didn’t have time for that kind of stuff. And now he had Johnny looking between Peter and the phone, mouth set in a slight frown. The easy atmosphere was gone, and Peter regretted bringing it up at all. But it wasn’t a Peter Parker Mistake until he went and made five more.

“I don’t. Usually. Some of the photographers they get for you are awful and the only reason their work looks good is because you’re in it!”

This wasn’t where Peter wanted to go with this, and Johnny was starting to look annoyed. He took a deep breath and tried to think steady thoughts.

“People have uh... been noticing some stuff you’ve posted and traced it back to me. Like that one in bed the other day.”

Johnny’s face was still strangely still, and Peter rushed to reassure him, “It’s not bad! Only Mary Jane and Harry really caught on and they’ve known me for ages.”

Johnny had sat up again, leaving Peter’s side cold. He fiddled with one of his rings, avoiding Peter’s eyes.

“If it’s not a big deal, then why are we talking about it?”

The big question. Peter took a moment to figure out how to phrase things without sounding like an ass.

“Harry’s worried about the effect on the company’s image if it gets out. I’m under a lot of scrutiny now and it’s... a lot. A lot to think about.”

There was an odd twist to Johnny’s mouth. His voice was perfectly level when he asked, “So what do you want me to do?”

“I mean, maybe just tone it down a bit. All your stuff recently has been about your new mystery man.” And if the comments were anything to go by, it was driving Johnny’s fans wild with speculation.

There was a long pause before Johnny said clearly, “No.”

Peter really hadn’t been expecting that.

“What do you mean, no? You can’t-- I feel like this is pretty reasonable!”

Johnny was looking at him again, a determined glint in his eye. “I said it’s not happening. This is my thing, not a Parker Industries thing. And my fans like it!”

Peter felt the urge to tear his hair out, which was pretty common when he was with Johnny.

“People are going to figure it out! I’m not just some random guy in the street any more, and you’re still celebrity superhero Johnny Storm!”

A shadow passed over Johnny’s face, gone so quickly Peter wasn’t even sure he’d seen it. He scoffed, looking back at his phone. “Relax. No one serious has said anything besides like, Buzzfeed. And they only did that thing where they collect a bunch of random tweets and add gifs. Our hashtag isn’t even trending.”

Peter was adrift in a sea of social media lingo. Suddenly he wanted to lie down or punch some jewel thieves in the face.

“We... have a hashtag?” Because that was a thing that happened to normal people.

Johnny quirked an eyebrow at him like he could tell what Peter was thinking. “Well, yeah. On my own I have like, five. You probably have more, considering all the Spidey ones.”

Peter probably shouldn’t ask, but: “What Spidey ones? Why would there be more than five!”

There was that look again. Johnny started counting off on his fingers, “You’ve got your #spiderman, for all your Spider-Man related needs. #spidey for the people who need to keep things short. Then there’s the one for when people see you eating a gross dirty water dog or whatever else you dig up for lunch, the selfie with Spider-Man hashtag, the property damage hashtag--“

“Wait, wait, people are keeping track of _property damage_? I’m protecting the city from narcissistic weirdoes in animal costumes!” Even for New York, this was a bit much. Maybe he wasn’t so careful with windows and doors and... cars, but that was better than a body count.

Johnny was looking a bit too gleeful and it probably said a lot about Peter that he really wanted to kiss him. To stop whatever was going to come out of his mouth next, definitely. Feeling that smile against his lips and hearing the little gasp Johnny would make would just be a bonus.

While Peter got a little caught up in his daydream, Johnny had flicked to something on his phone, and was shoving it in Peter’s face. It took Peter a second to register what he was seeing, and then he couldn’t stop the outraged outburst.

“Are these people seriously complaining that I trashed their favourite cafe? There was an armed robbery! And--and why would they use #thanksspidey? It doesn’t even look good!”

Johnny shrugged, grinning happily as he opened up a picture of a frowning manbun and bescarf-ed hipster in front of a shattered plate glass window.

“The sarcasm is the important part, I think. I had no idea how much stuff you broke until I started following this.”

The grin turned into an accusatory glare. “Although, seriously? You need to stop stealing food from people. You’re a CEO! You can afford your own freaking burger.”

“It’s not like I can just whip out the company card! And sometimes I’m in a rush. Fighting crime doesn’t always leave time for snack breaks.”

“Do you need me to pack you some granola bars? Trail mix? Maybe a little bento box?” Johnny’s smile was teasing, but Peter had a feeling he’d be seeing some packed lunches in his future.

“Only if you make the kind with the little panda bears. And the octopus weenies.”

Johnny moved in to kiss Peter again, muttering something that sounded like, “I’ll show you a weenie.”

Maybe Peter had been forgiven. Whatever mood Johnny had gotten into had passed, and he was warm and pliant in Peter’s arms again. The Human Torch, always hot and cold. Peter rubbed a thumb against Johnny’s hipbone, contemplative.

“Do you really need all this stuff anyways? Your life is exciting enough without posting pictures of my abs.”

There was a twist to Johnny’s mouth that Peter wasn’t sure he liked. He shrugged. “S’just fun. And you know me. Carefree Johnny Storm, falls into bed with anyone with a hot bod. Gotta maintain my brand.”

It felt like there was something Peter was missing, but he was more focused on the tight set of Johnny’s jaw.

“’Hot bod?’ I see how it is. I’m nothing but your fling on the side! Your pining sex slave!” 

Johnny snorted, shoving at Peter’s chest. “You’d make an awful sex slave. You never let me do anything!”

Peter wrapped his arms around Johnny and hummed. “It’s more like I think you should be serviced. Wooed, even.”

“Is that what you’re calling it.” Johnny had a sly smile and that was always bad news for Peter. “I think you just like using your big--”

“Hey now. That kind of talk is better suited for the bedroom. Maybe then I’ll show you what kind of wooing I mean.”

Johnny pushed at Peter again, this time with intent. “What are you waiting for!”

Peter let himself be pushed off the couch, rolling onto the floor as Johnny stood up imperiously. 

He cocked his head, and told Peter very solemnly, “I’ll be awaiting your demonstration,” before moving towards the bedroom.

Peter lay on the floor for a moment, thinking that this talk hadn’t had the results he’d wanted, but it still seemed like a win. He’d take what he could get.

\--

If there was one thing on Peter’s weekly calendar that got top priority, no matter what continent he was supposed to be on, it was dinner with Aunt May. The need for some home cooking was less dire now than when he was in his bachelor days, but it was nice to eat something that had been made with canned soup. And Peter was always safe in the knowledge that this kitchen had never been touched by kale.

Johnny had somehow found _three_ different types, which was three too many.

This time, there was something off about May. She’d raised an eyebrow at the pie Peter had brought along but didn’t comment beyond saying it looked very nice and Peter shouldn’t have gone to the trouble. After that it was mostly gossip from her bridge club and what she was doing with the charity.

Still, during lulls in the conversation as Peter went through several portions of her broccoli chicken casserole, he’d catch May giving him an intent stare. Peter reasoned that she was probably looking for evidence that he was working too hard (which he was).

It finally came out as May dished out the pie. 

Carefully casual, May said, “You know... this pie looks very similar to one I saw in a photo today.”

Peter froze, thinking he knew exactly where May must have seen it. 

Mind racing, he tried to play it off. “The bakery I got this from probably makes tons of these. Maybe even used it for publicity photos!”

It was entirely reasonable that the little leaf cut-outs and braided border could be from a bakery. The whole thing certainly looked professional enough.

May shook her head. “No, I remember distinctly where it’s from. I even ‘liked’ the post.”

Desperately, Peter asked, “Who taught you how to do that? I didn’t know you had any social media accounts that you actually used.”

“Barbara’s grandson helped me. He mows the lawn for me, too.” No one could guilt trip like Aunt May.

Before Peter could ask why she wanted to be on something like Twitter in the first place, May continued, “I followed Johnny Storm, since he was very polite to me after he plucked me off that roof when there was that fire. And he’s quite the cook.”

And that was the look that could make supervillains quail. Peter put his face in his hands and groaned.

“Aunt May, I’m sorry. What do you want me to say!”

“So it is his pie!” May could have tempered that triumphant look a little to preserve Peter’s dignity. Whatever was left of it.

Peter tried one last gambit, weakly saying, “He could have bought the same pie and lied about making it?”

He really deserved that disappointed look.

May sighed and slid a plate of that traitorous pie towards him. 

“What I don’t understand is why you think I wouldn’t recognise my own nephew even when he’s half naked.”  
Of course she’d seen that one. Peter’s humiliation was complete.

“I didn’t think you’d see it period! I thought you were satisfied with text messages and Sudoku.”

May sniffed, carefully lifting out her own slice. “I need to keep up with the news, Peter. And the charity has its own online presence. Turns out you can teach an old dog new tricks.”

Peter couldn’t help but smile. “Don’t think we’ll be putting you in the kennel just yet.”

He threw an arm up and laughed. “May Parker! Queen of Twitter! I can’t believe it.”

May pointed her fork at him. “Believe it. And you’re the one in the doghouse, mister. Why haven’t you brought your Johnny for dinner yet?”

As Peter hesitated, May smiled at him sweetly. “He’s very good looking. And if his photos and this pie are anything to go by, an excellent cook.”

Peter huffed. “Are you saying he’s worth the dowry? Add in some sheep and we’re good.”

May tutted. “He’s worth at least a few pigs. Maybe even a cow.”

Peter snickered, trying to imagine Johnny in any kind of pastoral context. Maybe he’d never even seen a cow. Not that Peter could talk. Most of his animal interactions were limited to pigeons and whatever gimmick villain was popping up that week.

May was smiling fondly at him. “You know... I did think you’ve been looking much happier lately. Still working hard, but it’s obvious now that you had something to look forward to at the end of your day.”

Peter sat back. As always, May made things seem so obvious. Peter knew Johnny made him happy but didn’t think it was noticeable to other people. Maybe some of Johnny’s shine had rubbed off on him.

May reach over and took Peter’s hand. “You forget that I know my nephew. And if he loves someone, they must be pretty special.”

Peter cleared his throat. “You’re right about that. I think you two will love each other.”

Maybe too much. Still, they were the best people he knew. They probably wouldn’t torture him more than necessary.

May patted his hand, before going back to her pie. “You should bring him by soon. There are some recipes that I would like to ask him for.”

Peter eyed her as she nonchalantly took a bite. “None of the weird vegetable ones, right? Or that gluten free tart thing he tricked me into eating?”

“I don’t know what you’re worried about, Peter. It’s always good to expand your repertoire.”

Peter didn’t want to say that he’d like May’s repertoire to stay exactly the same since Johnny’s was a bit too wide. A man needed simple carbs and artificial flavors every once in awhile! 

He knew there was an unflattering whine in his voice when he said, “May, once he made pizza but the crust was just _cauliflower_! That’s not pizza! It’s basically a salad!”

May arched a brow and said, “I’m glad Johnny’s thinking of your health. Cauliflower crusts are very trendy now. And they’re supposed to be delicious.”

Peter couldn’t exactly say his radioactive spider-bite made sure he didn’t have to worry about malnutrition and he could eat as many patty melts as he wanted, so he just sighed.

“I’ll ask him if he wants to come by. That way you can plan my rabbit food diet together.”

May nodded, then said, “I wish you wouldn’t look like you’re being sent to your death. I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful time. Perhaps we’ll even discover we’re kindred spirits.”

That was exactly what Peter was afraid of.

\--

After the unique terror that had been dinner with Aunt May, Peter had some extra energy. Luckily, a guy could have a lot of fun with some spandex and a few spider superpowers.

Peter spun out of his swing and flipped upright onto the top edge of one of the fancy new glass skyscrapers. Quiet night, with only the city's usual nighttime clamour and rhythm filling up the spaces between buildings. Not great for working out stress, but everyone else got a break.

Looking down at the lights of the city, his city, it was easier to remember he had a pretty good life. Especially when he was considering going home to a beautiful celebrity superhero in his bed.

Just as he tensed to jump back into motion, Peter felt something smack right into his chest without even a whisper from his Spider-sense, causing him to almost tumble in shock. Whatever had hit him was sticky, and just as he realised it was webbing, Silk had landed with a thump beside him.

"Cindy Moon, this could be considered assault. With some unfortunate implications," he said, still pulling fruitlessly at her webshot.

"We go out in costumes to punch people, assault is kind of our thing," Cindy said while flipping upside-down, presumably to glare more effectively. "And no one would blame me considering I had to find out you're sleeping with _Johnny Storm_ through an Instagram nude!" 

Peter squinted at her, "Doesn't Jameson call you Analog? When did you get Instagram? Why are you following Johnny?"

"You need social media to keep up with the zeitgeist, Peter! I have a smartphone! And why wouldn't I follow Johnny, we're friends. Stop deflecting!" Cindy looked mad enough to try and web Peter to the very shiny building they were hanging off of, so Peter held off on asking where she'd learned a word like _zeitgeist_. He was still reeling from the revelation that yet another one of his social circle had seen that photo and then actually recognised him.

Cindy gave a frustrated sigh and pulled herself upright, settling beside Peter before turning to glare at him again. 

"I can't believe I had to look at your butt."

Peter coughed, feeling his cheeks turn a little red. "You've seen it before!"

"And that was enough! I'm done!" Cindy threw up her hands, apparently at the injustice of having to view Peter's (completely unplanned!) semi-nude photo. "Sometimes it sucks having a photographic memory, you know.”

Peter opened his mouth to say he didn’t actually know, having just a regular boring memory, but Cindy was already moving on. 

She tapped one of her webclaws none too gently on Peter’s chest and asked, “Why didn’t tell me you were dating Johnny Storm?”

Peter huffed. He hadn’t planned on an interrogation tonight, never mind two. At least there had been pie at the last one. Up here there was nothing but the smell of pigeon and Cindy’s disdain.

"We're trying to keep it quiet. Johnny's still pretty famous and it's complicated with the whole CEO of Parker Industries thing and Spider-Man the bodyguard." Even as he was saying it, Peter knew this wasn't going to land well.

Sure enough, Cindy gave him a punch on the shoulder that was just on the edge of too hard. "So you couldn't share with your weird spider twin! It's not like I even have anyone I could tell!"

It was a little hard to tell through the mask, but Cindy looked genuinely hurt under the annoyance. Peter sighed.

"It's-- it's not like that, Cin. We'd been best friends for years and then just kind of... fell into things. You know Johnny, he's like--" Peter made an explosion noise and spread his fingers. "Can't help but go along with it."

Cindy was looking at him intently, gaze a little softer than before, until she looked away and made a humming sound. "You know, since I kissed Johnny, and you've kissed Johnny, we've second-hand kissed."

Peter spluttered. "We've firsthand kissed! In case you forgot!"

Cindy waved a hand flippantly, "Pheromones don't count. It was weird. Second-hand kisses only." 

Then, slyly, "He's a good kisser, right?"

"Oookay, I think that means we're done for the night," Peter stood, shooting out a webline. "I don't kiss and tell, Ms. Moon."

Cindy stood as well, grin obvious even through the mask. "I bet your boyfriend does. Later, Peter."

And then she dropped, freefalling and catching herself with a webline a few stories before the street.

Peter watched her swing away into the darkness, before orienting himself towards the Baxter Building, and Johnny. He figured enduring the tender mercies of Cindy Moon earned him the rest of the night off. And all that talk about kissing had given him some ideas.

\--

There was a lot of butter laid out in neat slabs in the fridge and the counter was covered in flour and Johnny had that frown of concentration that only appeared when he was doing something like sticking something that might break physics inside of a Cadillac. So obviously this was a great time for Peter to talk to him about going to May’s for dinner.

Spider-Man had always been known for his great timing.

Johnny had just started doing something vaguely violent with a rolling pin and a disc of dough when Peter cleared his throat. Johnny didn’t look up, moving on to making smooth careful motions with the pin.

“This won’t be done until later, so you have to find something else to eat. Or go grocery shopping or something. Visit your other boyfriend with the hot dog cart and only one kind of mustard.”

The undercurrent of, “Stop bugging me and go away,” came through loud and clear. Luckily, Peter was a champ at ignoring that particular message. Lots of practice.

“What if I want to take this boyfriend to dinner at Aunt May’s?”

There was a pause in the pastry making and Peter went on, “Also, I don’t know what’s wrong with having mustard that’s just yellow and nothing else. It’s pure.”

“Peter!” Johnny was looking at him, lips pressed together unhappily. “Be serious! Did you say you want me to go to dinner at May’s?”

Peter blinked. “Well, yeah. Ideally, I’d be there too. Not the kind of guy to pass up a good casserole.”

Johnny shot him a scathing look and went back to his rolling pin. Peter drummed his fingers on the counter, waiting, but it didn’t look like Johnny was going to say anything else. He sighed.

“So, are we going? I know you’re busy, but I think we can make it work. And she already loves your pies.”

There was a long enough silence that Peter was starting to get annoyed, but then Johnny very evenly said, “I don’t really see the point.”

Peter blinked. “May wants to meet you. Again. She already likes you.” He wasn’t going to mention the burning building rescue thing.

Johnny huffed and turned away to put his annoyingly perfect dough square in the fridge. “It’s just not the right time. Got a lot of stuff going on.”

Peter could feel himself bristling and tried to keep his voice steady. “It’s just one night. She doesn’t ask for this kind of thing much.”

He tried for a weak joke, “If the bigshot CEO of Parker Industries can get away and take a night off from superhero-ing, why not the Human Torch?”

Johnny still wasn’t looking at him, jaw tight as he started to clear the counter. Peter watched him for a long moment. None of this made any sense. Johnny was always a charmer, even moreso when it came to the elderly aunt type. And May was already pretty fond of him, despite what she called Johnny’s “flashiness.”

Peter sidled closer, trying to radiate reassurance. “You know you don’t have to worry. May’s not going to interrogate you or anything. Except maybe about my eating habits.”

Johnny snorted, but not like it was very funny. He finally turned to look at Peter, mouth tilted downwards unhappily.

“Don’t you think...” Johnny took a breath and started again. “Isn’t the Human Torch showing up at Peter Parker’s aunt’s home a little too public?”

He was twisting a dishtowel in his hands and Peter felt a million things he could say, _should_ say crowding his throat, but nothing came out. Johnny was still looking at him expectantly and Peter wanted to say it was important for May to know that Johnny was family. The real deal wake up together every morning forever kind of family.

But he could still hear Harry in his head: responsibility.

Johnny must have seen something in Peter’s expression, his face crumpling as he threw down the dish towel.

Peter moved towards him, hands held out placatingly, “Johnny--”

“Save it. Your priorities are already pretty obvious.”

He stripped off his apron and stalked past Peter to the balcony, throwing over his shoulder, “I need some air.”

Next thing Peter knew, Johnny was a fading blaze against the sunny sky.

Peter groaned and dragged his hands down his face. He’d thought it was going to be so easy. Ask Johnny to go to dinner, Johnny says yes and makes some kind of ridiculous dessert, May fawns over him, Peter gets to watch two of the people he loves most in the world make jokes at his expense and eat himself sick. The perfect night.

Now he was left with an uncomfortable twist in his gut and the feeling that he deserved whatever disappointed look May was going to hit him with. And Johnny... He had to make things right with Johnny.

Peter sighed, and decided it was time to change into his other _other_ work clothes. Nothing like some fresh air and gently punching some muggers to clear the mind. And maybe a hot dog.

\--

One giant lizard and many, _many_ much less giant but still flying lizards getting spat out onto Grand Central Station felt like a pretty typical Thursday. It also typical that Peter had just paid for his hot dog and managed no more than two bites before some shrieking lizards dipped perilously close to some shell-shocked tourists. A Spidey’s work is never done.

It was an all hands on deck situation, which meant Peter got to see the Unity Squad hammering on the big guy while he webbed up some of the babies. The really ugly, screeching babies. Peter glanced up to see Johnny flying overhead, a bright streak even in the sunny sky.

He hopped on a couple more lizards, webbing their wings together as he went, and barely managed to veer away when Rogue swooped close, arm gesturing into the distance.

“Ya need to get out! Torch is gonna light it up!”

A look over his shoulder showed Johnny circling around, loops of flame drawing the lizards in tighter. If Peter squinted, he could almost pretend he could see Johnny’s bright smile through the crackling and flickering of the fire.

Rogue was still yelling at him, so Peter pulled himself a little faster, swinging up onto a rooftop that was a safe distance away, and then settled in to watch the show.

It always felt like there was a brief pause, a moment of stillness as Johnny curled inwards-- then that burst of heat and light of the Nova blast, like a small sun. Before the spots had faded from his eyes, Peter was swinging back out, dodging the falling and smoking bug remains, focused on a wobbly figure in gold and black. 

“Hello, starshine!” he called out, curving towards Johnny, “Someone call for the ever-reliable Spider-Cab?”

He grabbed Johnny by the waist, who sighed in relief and snuffed the last of his flames. As Peter steered them towards a quiet building, he felt Johnny sag into his hold, and looked down to see his eyes closed. Big explosion meant big nap, and that one had been a doozy.

Peter carefully set Johnny down on a clean-ish looking bit of roof, and Johnny flopped backwards and sighed. Peter looked down at him, still steaming slightly and with a pigeon pecking at his hair. He was looking a little better, but he still had the disquieting... dimness that came after going Nova. Like Johnny’s spark was a little smaller. There was always the worry that this was the time Johnny burnt himself out, and Peter vividly remembered how dark things had been with Johnny depowered.

Impulsively, Peter pulled out his phone and snapped a picture. Johnny didn’t even open his eyes.

_Posted to @spiderhyphenman_

_My hero! Wouldn’t want to save the world with anyone else! ♥♥♥_

As Peter was wondering whether doing a close up on the pigeon would be too much and maybe grounds for actual murder, Johnny groaned and pushed himself upright, the pigeon fluttering away with an irritated coo.

Peter crouched down next to him, pushing back his hair, “How are you doing, beautiful?”

Johnny blinked at him, still a little fuzzy. He frowned, batting Peter’s hand away.

“What are you even doing here?”

“Friendly neighborhood Spider-Man! And this is my neighborhood.”

Johnny huffed. “You think all of New York is your neighborhood.”

Peter flicked his forehead. “Hey, not Brooklyn. And Daredevil’s got Hell’s Kitchen covered since he never actually leaves it.”

That got a small smile. “Not like that stops you from bugging him. Poor Matt.”

“He needs to lighten up. And he deserves it,” Peter said loftily. Just helping with the Catholic guilt or whatever.

Johnny gave a short laugh before running a hand down his face and sighing. There was an awkwardness between them and Peter hated it. Johnny was chewing on his lip and kept glancing up at Peter uncertainly.

Peter took a deep breath and started saying, “Listen--” Only for Johnny to try to say at the same time, “I’m sorry--” 

Johnny looked a little shocked when they both tried to speak, and Peter used the opportunity to push ahead.

“I shouldn’t have brought up dinner without thinking it through first. We’ll just... do it whenever the time is right. It’s not a big deal.”

Johnny looked up at him, big blue eyes arresting even when they were one a dirty rooftop. Finally he sighed, and held up his arms.

“Okay, I need some carbs in me. We’re gonna shower and you’re treating me to the fancy pasta place.”

Peter huffed, pulling Johnny to his feet. “Don’t you have a rich boyfriend to take you out? That dashing Peter Parker guy?”

Johnny stumbled a little before straightening, and gave Peter a mock shocked look. “However did you find out about our illicit affair?”

Peter snorted. “Can’t keep things from the bodyguard. All those late nights in the office... Should really close the blinds,” he said, hand landing on Johnny’s hip and dancing along the ribbing of his costume, before sliding around for a not so subtle grope.

At Johnny’s raised eyebrow, he shrugged. “Got some building on you.”

Johnny lifted his arms into a long stretch, leaning to one side and sighing. “I think I’ve got more than building on me. Nothing like the stench of burning lizard aliens on a sunny New York afternoon.”

“Luckily,” Peter said, wrapping an arm around Johnny’s waist, “I know of a very nice executive suite with an even nicer shower.”

Peter knew Johnny must be especially exhausted when he wrapped his arms around Peter’s neck without a complaint. He laid his head against Peter’s shoulder and mumbled something about breaking and entering not being very heroic. Peter would be surprised if he lasted more than ten minutes into the swing back home.

Always gave him a warm feeling that Johnny trusted him enough to doze off on him even as they were dropping between high rises.

Johnny could never know that Peter surreptitiously used some judicious sticky fingers to keep him close. Spider-Man is always about safety first! And he was carrying some precious cargo.

He was still passed out when they got to the Baxter, which meant Peter got to carefully tuck him into bed and then order one side of the menu from Johnny’s favourite Italian place. Plus, some Chinese because why not.

The bright, tender feeling that welled up in Peter’s chest every time he saw Johnny’s golden hair spread across the pillow meant extra dumplings didn’t merit a second thought. Even if they were almost definitely all destined to end up in Johnny’s bowl.

True love was a hell of a thing.

\--

Peter blinked awake, not sure at first what had woken him. A stretch across the sheets revealed no familiar heat, just fading warmth. When he rolled to land his feet on the floor, he saw Johnny on the balcony, strong shoulders limned against the glittering skyline of New York at night. Peter would be lying if the way one of Peter’s dress shirts barely skimmed the bottom of Johnny’s ass didn’t give him some interesting thoughts.

He stepped out, Johnny not looking up at the slight click of the door. Peter moved to stand beside where Johnny was leaning against the railing, a faint glow to his skin. His face was tilted up, a melancholy twist to his mouth.

“Decided to take up star gazing?” There were probably stars up there beyond the light pollution of the city. Somewhere. And Johnny had been to more than he could count.

Johnny gave a long sigh, glancing at Peter briefly before returning his attention back to the sky. “It’s stupid, but sometimes I wonder if I’ve been looking at where they are all this time. Maybe they’re looking back.”

There wasn’t any question which ‘they’ Johnny was referring to. Only one group of people he loved who were lost in the stars.

Peter gave in, and fit himself against Johnny’s back, arms circling around his waist. Like always, Johnny gave off a gentle warmth, like the comfort of a hearth. Peter propped his chin on his shoulder, and gave his cheek a quick kiss when Johnny turned to look at him.

“They’re thinking of you. I mean, I’m always thinking about you.” Bright, beautiful Johnny.

He snorted, leaning his forehead against Peter’s, “I can imagine what you’re thinking about when you think about me.”

Peter put on some mock outrage. “That’s only half the time!”

There was a long pause where he could feel Johnny’s amused skepticism. “Okay, seventy percent. Eighty, max.”

Johnny turned in the circle of the arms with huffing laugh. He was smiling now, though his eyes still looked a little distant. Peter leaned in to properly kiss him. Their lips met chastely, a brief touch that still sent tingles down Peter’s spine.

When he pulled back, Johnny’s eyes were half-lidded, and he closed them with a sigh, putting his head on Peter’s shoulder and leaning on him.

Peter lifted a hand to rub his back. “Past bedtime for all good superhero boys and girls, I think.”

He felt Johnny smile against his shoulder, “Too bad there aren’t any of those here.” He still let Peter gently pull him inside, stripping the shirt off and pulling the sheets over them in bed.

Johnny’s eyes shone in the reflected light from the balcony, looking steadily at Peter, something dark swimming behind his gaze. Peter leaned his forehead against Johnny’s, briefly brushing their noses. “Thinking deep thoughts, beautiful?”

His face twisted a little, and Peter felt a brief spike of alarm before Johnny shuffled closer, breath warm against the hollow of Peter’s throat. He brought a hand up to card through Johnny’s hair, quietly basking in his warmth. They had always been physical with each other, but Peter hadn’t really understood what Johnny’s cuddly nature really meant until the nights spent tangled together.

It was no trial to quietly hold Johnny until his mood passed or he was soothed into sleep. Peter had almost thought Johnny had drifted off when there was a mumble, lips barely moving against Peter’s neck. 

“You ever think…” Johnny trailed off with a frustrated sigh.

Peter pulled him closer, tangling their legs together. “Rarely. Try to avoid it as much as possible. Easier to just put on the spandex and punch bank robbers in themed costumes.”

He probably deserved a punch for that, but Johnny only grumbled and shifted slightly in Peter’s arms. He waited patiently; it had taken years for Peter to realise that quick-burning and fiery Johnny Storm sometimes needed a moment to collect his thoughts. That life changing speech in high school probably hadn’t come easy.

After long moments of Peter gently tapping his fingers up and down Johnny’s back, Johnny finally let out a breath. “Everything just leaves. Nothing sticks around. Not for me.”

Peter had a feeling he wasn’t thinking about the general ever-changing state of the universe. Before he could say anything, Johnny was talking again.

“Could have been okay with all those relationships, but then the one thing that was supposed to be forever... Just gone.” He gave a wet laugh. “Gotta look at the common denominator, I guess.”

Johnny trailed off with a sniffle and Peter pulled him in tight, trying for a soothing murmur. Peter held him for a long moment, as Johnny huffed ragged breaths against his shoulder. Finally, Johnny started to quiet and Peter kissed the side of Johnny’s head.

“You’ve still got me. Since we were kids, right?” Half a lifetime ago, when Peter was too young and too stupid to recognise what that spark he felt when looking at Johnny Storm meant.

Johnny huffed what was almost a laugh. “Broke into my house, and now you’re living in it. How does that work.”

If there was one thing Peter Parker could do, it was make Johnny Storm laugh. “Oh, you know. Just a years long plan to seduce you. Seems to be working out pretty well!” He gave Johnny’s ass a good grope to punctuate it.

That got a gasp and light smack, even as Johnny started laughing. His eyes were bright again, shining in the dark of the bedroom. He shifted so he was nose to nose with Peter, giving an exaggerated shimmy.

“You think it takes a building and a fancy statue to get me into bed? Not sure if I should be offended or insulted.”

“Only the best for my fiery sweetheart!”

Peter brushed a thumb across Johnny’s cheekbone, catching a stray tear. He really did mean it. Johnny deserved everything good. And right now, Peter was the only one left to try and give it to him.

He kissed Johnny carefully, trying to put everything into the press of their lips. He kept it slow, even as Johnny tried to deepen it into something more. Johnny still felt tender, like he could be easily bruised.

Peter never felt the danger behind his strength more strongly than when Johnny was in his arms.

Eventually the kisses tapered off and Johnny was a warm deadweight draped across Peter’s chest. He adjusted them so that there wouldn’t be any numb limbs in the morning and wrapped an arm around Johnny’s waist.

He wondered how he hadn’t seen how sad Johnny was for so long. Had there always been that deep melancholy hidden under the flash?

Looking down at Johnny curled close into him, Peter felt a pang of guilt. Johnny was his responsibility now. And he’d been doing a pretty poor job of keeping him happy.

Peter settled deeper into the mattress, making a mental resolution: Take care of Johnny Storm. He had only been doing some version of that his entire superhero career. Easy.

\--

**@johnnystorm’s Instagram:**

_a white, carefully frosted cake, with colorful flowers piped along a curved edge._

“meeting the in-laws cake. the prettiest carrot cake I’ve ever made.”

#cake #icing #practicedthreetimes

\--

The ringtone signalling a call from Johnny blared out as Peter was swinging up and away from grabbing some wind scattered homework for some kids, and he answered with a cheery, “What’s up, my dearest buttercup?”

“You forgot the royal title, Wesley.” Johnny sounded sweet, like he was on the edge of a laugh. It was easy to imagine his smile and bright hair in the fall sunshine.

Peter turned his next swing into a lazy curve, coming to land on a brick building, perched next to someone’s windowsill herb garden. “I’m beginning to think you made me watch the Princess Bride all those times just so you could make jokes. So much effort for a few gags!”

The background noises surrounding Johnny changed; he’d stepped outside, from the ambient traffic sounds. Johnny huffed, pitching his voice higher to be heard over what sounded like a bike courier arguing with a food truck driver. “You loved it. And you can talk to me about wasting time on a prank when you’re not the guy making elaborate web sculptures insulting my hair.”

“The Times really loved that one. Thought there was some kind of secret message criticizing corporate greed.” Peter leaned back against the brick, brushing against a chive plant and knocking off a bee in the process. “Any reason for the dingle, honey?”

“Did you seriously just say dingle? And what if I just wanted to hear your weird, buggy voice?” It was a joke, but Peter knew exactly how much Johnny liked the Spider-Man voice. Johnny cleared his throat with a cough, and continued, “I got out of my shoot a little early and was wondering if you wanted to grab some coffee.”

Peter opened his mouth, but before he could even form the thought, Johnny quickly added on, “ _My_ pick. I want to go somewhere that doesn’t have sticky floors and has waitresses under 50.”

“Hey, Loretta is a respectable woman. Serves up a mean apple pie.” As Johnny grumbled about Peter and fruit pies and his blood turning into high fructose corn syrup, Peter hummed thoughtfully. “You’re going to make us go to that one with the giant slab of tree in the middle of the room pretending to be a table and all the baristas have those weird ear things.”

“A lot of tables are just slabs of tree, genius. But yes, that one. They’re the only place that gets the temperature right and I like the foam.” Johnny paused, suddenly hesitant. “If you’re busy, though... Or the Human Torch and CEO Peter Parker in public thing is too much--"

“Hey, I think I can manage the ‘non-descript brown haired white guy’ identity for awhile.” Crazy what putting on a polo shirt and cheap sweater could do when it came to camouflage.

Peter wanted to get that weird tone out of Johnny’s voice, so hammed it up a little. “Your favourite ridiculously hipster coffee place! Fifteen minutes! As you wish, my sweet sunflower.”

He ended the call on Johnny’s surprised laugh and leapt out into the open air, shooting out a webline and swinging towards Union Square.

When Peter stepped into the cafe (“Coffee shop and bean roastery,” Johnny corrected in his head), Johnny was tucked into a back corner, looking unfairly beautiful with the afternoon sunlight falling on him. He was grinning at something on his phone, and Peter probably didn’t deserve the way his face brightened when he caught sight of Peter. It felt easy, being in love with Johnny Storm.

As Peter slid in beside him, Johnny leaned towards him with bright eyes, making it difficult for Peter to resist giving him a quick kiss. It was guaranteed that the entire room of hipsters all had Instagram, though. Instead, he let their arms bump, Johnny a comforting warmth against his side.

“This place makes me feel very old. Decrepit. They’ll put me on the wall to maintain the vintage look.” Peter’s complaining was at least half genuine. Who decided their business would rely solely on an antique cash register?

Johnny’s smile was delighted, in on the joke. “You were always an old man at heart, Parker.” He leaned in closer, “Maybe you’re the one robbing the cradle.”

At Peter’s outraged squawk, Johnny leaned back looking smug. “Flat white, sugar daddy. Extra hot.”

“Why are you so fussy about the temperature when you can just fix it yourself?” Peter grumbled as he moved to make their order. He’d definitely seen Johnny heat his coffee to scalding in the mornings.

He heard Johnny yell, “It’s about the craft!” after him as he prepared to be patronized to by some guy with a man bun dreadlock combo.

After spending way too long listening to the barista list off the single origin beans they had brewing when Peter had just asked for a black coffee, Peter carefully balanced his mug and Johnny’s and headed back to the table, only to find Johnny had company in the form of a tall, broad shouldered man with a messenger bag. Johnny’s face had that practiced stiffness from years of celebrity, and his smile was barely a lift at the corner of his lips. 

Peter wasted no time scooting around the guy, sliding close to Johnny’s side again. “Got your kangaroo coffee, hot stuff. Who’s your friend?”

From up close, the guy seemed pretty unremarkable. Messy dark hair, had the nerd chic thing that was popular now. He was looking between Peter and Johnny with something like understanding dawning in his eyes. Johnny accepted his mug with a grim look in his eye.

“He was just leaving. Good seeing you, Ryan.” Johnny was studiously looking at his coffee, as the guy sighed.

“Didn’t know I was competing with Peter freaking Parker. See you around, Johnny.” After that completely confusing aside, he turned to leave the coffee shop with a wave over his shoulder. Peter waited until the door closed behind him before tentatively looking at Johnny, who was moodily sipping his coffee.

Peter flexed his hands, wrapping and unwrapping his fingers around his warm mug, before finally succumbing to curiosity. “Old friend? Poker buddy? Zumba partner?”

Johnny snorted, dipping a finger in the foam of his drink and sucking it off. Which, if it was a distraction technique, it was very successful. He sighed, fiddling with his saucer.

“He’s an ex.” 

Peter briefly let himself believe Johnny meant ex-tennis partner or ex-tailor. But the downturn of Johnny’s mouth made it obvious that particular brand of Parker humor wasn’t welcome at the moment.

“I didn’t even know you were dating anyone long enough recently to call them an ex.” Not since Medusa, at least. Maybe some flings, but this didn’t seem like that kind of ex.

The hand around Johnny’s mug tightened and a brief flush rose in his cheeks as he muttered something that sounded like, “Figures.” 

More clearly, “We dated for a few months. You were too busy with other stuff to notice, I guess.”

Peter winced. The Human Torch could be ice cold sometimes. Before he could say anything, Johnny continued in a small voice, “He wanted me to move in with him.”

That made something hot and hard bloom in Peter’s chest. He had to clear his throat so he could manage to choke out in something resembling a normal voice, “Why didn’t you?”

He’d seemed like Johnny’s type. Dark hair, broad shoulders. If Peter let his mind wander too far, he could easily see him braced over Johnny, holding him down. Kissing that place beneath his ear that made Johnny shiver. Running a hand up Johnny’s long legs. Peter was broken out of his thoughts by Johnny making a noncommittal noise.

“I was just fooling myself. And it wasn’t fair. To either of us.” Johnny scrubbed at his eyes, voice suddenly a little wet. He turned a wobbly smile on Peter. “Worked out pretty okay, though.”

“Worked out more than okay for me, I think.” Peter wanted so desperately to hold Johnny, but they were in this stupid hipster cafe with stupid folk rock being piped through the speakers from an actual goddamn gramophone.

Johnny snorted. “You’re just happy you’re not eating microwave burritos three times a week.”

“That you think I haven’t done worse is very flattering, honey. And there are some other benefits.”

Peter waggled his eyebrows outrageously, making Johnny try to shove him off the bench. Peter let him push at him for awhile before relaxing suddenly, making Johnny fall forward. Peter took the chance to take his hand out of sight under the table.

“I’m pretty glad you didn’t move in with that guy. Would have had to break a few windows, do some creative vandalism.”

Johnny blinked at him before slowly smiling. “Wouldn’t want any more property damage on my behalf.”

He straightened, curling his hands around his coffee again and quietly beaming at Peter. It felt close to perfect and yet... Peter couldn’t help but feel close wasn’t close enough.

Peter waited for Johnny to take a sip of his coffee before softly saying, “Hey.”

Johnny lifted an eyebrow. “Hey yourself, handsome.”

Peter snorted. “We both know who’s the looker in this relationship. I’m stuck being the brainy one.”

Johnny stuck his tongue out at him, which was very mature. Peter pulled a face back because he was also very mature.

“Be serious for a second.”

Johnny rolled his eyes and gestured, if I must, before tilting his head curiously.

“I really want to kiss you right now,” Peter blurted out. “All the time, actually.”

Johnny blinked at him. “Why are you telling me this right now? Here, where you hate everything down to the lighting fixtures in the bathrooms.”

Peter took a deep breath. “I just feel like... maybe we should think about going public. Slowly.”  
Johnny’s mouth fell open, and it was nice to know Peter could still stun the Human Torch. Johnny floundered, obviously at a loss for words before settling on, “Why now?”

Peter shrugged, not quite willing to admit the sight of Johnny’s ex had awoken some ugly feelings. There were some better truths.

“I care about you. And that should be more important than anything else.”

Johnny chewed on his lip, a slight blush rising in his cheeks. He seemed to come to some kind of internal decision and grinned at Peter.

“Do it slow, right?”

Peter grinned back. “We don’t want to overwhelm anyone. I’ve got the feeling we could be a power couple. Be the big romance of the year!”

Johnny burst into surprized laughter. Peter felt buoyed up like he always did when he saw Johnny this happy. Champagne bubbles and all that fizzy stuff.

“I’ll make it worth it. I promise.”

Johnny quieted, and looked at him with complete trust.

“I know you will.”

Wasn’t that some kind of responsibility.

\--

As soon as he heard the news reports, a sick feeling had settled in Peter’s stomach. There had been a few almost fights where Peter tried not to say the Unity Squad was full of jerks and they didn’t look out for Johnny, but he’d heard it anyways.

Peter didn’t really have a rebuttal when Johnny fumed that if Peter wanted to baby him so much, he could just rejoin the team.

And now Peter was reconsidering a few of his life choices as what appeared to be the Human Torch burned a swathe through Manhattan. That sick feeling bloomed into outright dread as he saw the twisted look on Johnny’s face, right before Johnny tried to roast him.

Hearing the Red Skull speak in Johnny’s voice was even worse. 

“If I can’t make him watch as I kill you-- Perhaps you’ll enjoy watching as I kill _him_.”

Peter’s spider-sense went off like a bomb and everything slowed to a crawl as Johnny picked up a shard of glass. Even as he fired off a webshot, all Peter could hear pulsing in his head was, “Too slow, too slow.”

It felt perverted webbing Johnny up tight when Peter couldn’t help thinking of Johnny half jokingly saying Peter could bring his webshooters to the bedroom. The Red Skull was a special kind of jerk. 

Peter knew the moment the Red Skull lost his influence on Johnny. It took everything in him to not pull him close in relief. Spidey and the Human Torch were close, but not that close. Better to make a quick getaway.

Back in the Baxter Building, Peter paced. This was the kind of energy he usually punched away, but he needed to see Johnny. His chest still felt tight, mind playing over and over how things could have gone wrong. The vulnerable line of Johnny’s neck and the glint of fire off the glass. Knowing the entire time Johnny was still in there, watching as his body was played like a marionette.

That part, Peter was all too familiar with.

There was a slight tingle before Peter heard a light thump on the balcony, and he turned, moving too fast and pulling Johnny into his arms before he was even fully through the door. He was probably holding on too tight, but Johnny was clinging back, breath hitching and wet.

Peter pulled back after a few long moments and thumbed some tears off of Johnny’s cheeks.

“Bit of a night, huh.” Peter didn’t manage to hit the right tone and Johnny’s face crumpled before he buried his face in Peter’s neck again.

Peter shushed, rubbing his back and trying not to think about how close it had been. He wasn’t ready for Johnny to mumble something into his neck. 

“Pardon?”

Johnny lifted his tearstained face and shakily said, “I burned them.”

Peter frowned. “You didn’t. I’m fine, see? Just a little short on web fluid.”

Johnny shook his head, moving to grip Peter’s arms. “He made me think they were back. And th-then... I burned them.”

His voice stuttered on a sob. “I can still hear them.”

Johnny never burned anyone. But Peter knew exactly who the Red Skull would choose to torment Johnny the most. Reed and Sue and the kids lost to the cosmos and no way for Johnny to reassure himself that they were okay.

Peter sighed, pressing a kiss to Johnny’s temple. 

“It wasn’t real.” Empty words, but it felt better to hear them in the open.

Peter rubbed Johnny’s arms, trying for reassuring. His breathing was still uneven, but he was down to the occasional wet hiccup.

“Let’s go to bed. Work through things in the morning.”

Johnny nodded against him, giving a shaky sigh. He turned his head slightly, and Peter could feel the warmth of his breath against his jaw.

“You always take care of me.”

Peter huffed. “Kind of been my job since we were teenagers. You still faint like a damsel in those black and white movies.”

That didn’t get any kind of acknowledgement which meant it was definitely bedtime. Johnny let Peter tug him into the bathroom for a quick shower and then tuck him into a pile of blankets. Peter curled around him and watched as Johnny slowly blinked into sleep.

They were superheroes. They had near death experiences almost every other week. Every other day for Peter. But Johnny had died once. And Peter hadn’t been there.

This time had been too close. Seeing it, feeling that flare of blinding fear...

Peter looked at Johnny, still frowning a little in his sleep. He felt like he was on the edge of an epiphany, the same feeling he got right before the last part of a new gadget clicked into place.

Johnny sighed, shifting in his sleep, and Peter let himself relax, closing his eyes. For a supposed genius, he was pretty slow.

\--

**@johnnystorm on Instagram:**

_waffles fanned across a plate, with careful dollops of whipped cream and strawberries sliced and arranged with look like hearts_

“boyfriend waffles”

#breakfast #waffles #stilleatslikealittlekid

\--

Peter watched from the kitchen island as Johnny sleepily hummed to himself, clattering around as he got breakfast ready. His hair was sticking up in all directions and he was wearing nothing but one of Peter’s shirts that said, “Never trust an atom, they make up everything,” and some truly tiny shorts. Peter had never seen anyone more beautiful.

Johnny had moved on to grumbling that Peter hid the French press on purpose because he had an emotional attachment to his ancient Mr. Coffee, when Peter was struck by a thought. Never one to wait on a crazy impulse, Peter stood up and circled around to Johnny, grabbing him around the waist.

Johnny barely had time to quirk an eyebrow before Peter was dipping him into a kiss. When they broke apart, Johnny had his arms around Peter’s neck and a sweet flush on his cheeks. 

Peter kissed him again, a quick peck. “Hi.”

Johnny’s eyes fluttered open as he smiled at Peter, “Hi. Trying to start something, pal?”

If Peter had been second guessing himself, all doubts vanished looking down at Johnny grinning happily at him. This felt like a forever thing, like very few things in his current life did. Had always been forever, even when they were dumb kids and Peter was dumping Johnny in the Hudson.

“Let’s get married.” It took a second for it to register, Johnny’s face confused before his mouth dropped open in shock.

Peter pulled Johnny upright, and took one of his hands to kiss the knuckles. “Marry me.”

Johnny’s voice climbed, becoming alarmingly high pitched as he shrieked, “Are you pranking me right now?” 

He gestured wildly with his other hand, ends of his hair smoking. “You only just felt like you _maybe_ wanted to go public!”

Peter felt giddiness rising in him, and he couldn’t help but laugh. He kissed Johnny’s hand again, then reeled him in for a proper kiss. 

“It’ll be fun, won’t it? Keep everyone guessing! Maybe one of those fan conspiracy sites will crack it.”

Johnny frowned at him. “Or someone’s going to think I’m married to Spider-Man. The Mole Man. Namor.”

“--You wouldn’t marry Namor, right.” Peter knew about that guy and how he felt about blondes. Especially blondes named Storm. Those weird little scaly undies didn’t hide enough.

He probably deserved the smack on the shoulder as Johnny said, “No, idiot! Apparently I’m marrying you!”

Peter grinned at Johnny, “Is that a yes?”

Johnny was blushing, trying to cover his face with his free hand. “Obviously it’s a yes. Who else would settle for you!”

Peter hummed happily, kissing Johnny’s cheek. “You get what you deserve, honey.”

That was what finally made Johnny laugh, and look Peter in the eye. His gaze was soft as he said, “Then I must have been pretty good.”

Peter was content to let the moment linger, until Johnny abruptly smacked his arm.

“Where’s my ring! What happened to big romantic declarations on the Statue of Liberty!”

That surprized a laugh out of Peter.

“You want the wining and dining, huh? Red roses and fancy bottles of champagne? Fireworks?”

Johnny huffed, settling back on his heels. “White roses. And it just feels like you kind of half-assed it. Wait.”

His eyes narrowed. “You literally only thought of this five minutes ago, didn’t you.”

Peter coughed. “Guilty. But why would I want to wait to marry you!”

That got a pleased smile, even if Johnny tried to hide it. “Flatterer. But I still want it done properly!”

“Deal.” Peter very casually settled his hands on Johnny’s hips and leaned in close. “Doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate a little now, right?”

“I was already making waffles.” Johnny’s mouth barely twitched. 

Peter pinched him. “Funny guy! You might need the energy though, since we’ll be pretty busy... Better put on some extra bacon.”

Johnny broke, laughing and winding his arms around Peter’s neck. “Just do the caveman thing already! I don’t want you trying to have sex in the kitchen.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely...” Peter easily hefted Johnny up and turned them towards the bedroom, pausing for a moment in the doorway. Johnny looked at him questioningly, tugging at his hair a little.

Peter let the suspense build a little before asking, “Did you turn off the stove?”

Johnny rolled his eyes and pointed at the bed. “This engagement isn’t going to last very long if we’re not on that bed in thirty seconds.”

Peter thought Johnny should have expected to get thrown onto the bed, but that screech proved otherwise. He sat up with literal flames in his eyes only to get tackled down again as Peter joined him.  
Sometimes it paid to be impulsive.

\--

It was a little unfair that they didn’t even get to try to be sneaky about getting married before someone at that same awful hipster cafe with the tree table caught Peter in the middle of softly kissing Johnny over an overpriced cheese danish and put the photo up on Twitter. Peter swore that it was the manbun guy and he could _feel_ it on the web and Johnny kept rolling his eyes and saying spider-sense didn’t work that way.

When Peter asked how Johnny would know since he wasn’t anything close to a spider, Johnny had just sniffed and said Cindy told him. Peter didn’t get any respect.

The photo was nice. Johnny was swaying towards Peter with a sweet smile, and May had remarked that Peter looked so much nicer when he wasn’t frowning. It was infuriating that Peter couldn’t complain about bad filters or terrible composition. Maybe he printed it out and put it on his desk. It was just nice.

Harry wasn’t happy with him. A lot of people weren’t happy with him, especially the ones sitting at the big table during shareholder meetings. But the public seemed supportive, and only the worst tabloids were calling Johnny a desperate gold digger. That they thought Peter was some clueless lovestruck patsy... wasn’t far off, actually.

It had been harder to deal with Johnny’s immediate apologies when the news broke. Listening to him choke out that he understood if Peter had changed his mind was heartbreaking and infuriating all at once. Except it was Peter’s own stupid fault and despite years of trying, Peter couldn’t punch himself in the face.

The existence of Ben Reilly notwithstanding.

Despite multiple reassurances, Johnny had been quiet and withdrawn. Didn’t upload a single photo, not even of his ridiculous pink berry drink. Peter had swung halfway across the city to find the thing, and he still wasn’t sure what a butterfly-pea flower really was. Worth it to see Johnny’s first smile all day.

Still, people were talking. Several people thought Johnny had gone into hiding. More than expected thought Peter had locked him in some kind of sex dungeon. Scrolling through Twitter made Peter think that if Johnny had been looking at this all day, no wonder he was feeling depressed.

It struck Peter that this was only a taste of what Johnny had been dealing with since he was a teenager.

He snuck a look at where Johnny was slumped on the couch, watching one of the million baking shows that were always on now. Peter was feeling impulsive again.

It didn’t look like Johnny was actually paying attention, so when Peter crashed down next to him, he noticeably jumped. The surprize turned to annoyance as Peter pressed close, trying to angle their faces together.

“What are you doing! I’m watching something!”

“Hold on, I’m trying to line up the shot!” This was somehow harder than when Peter was webbing his camera to a building to take his own mildly profitable selfies. Getting the both of them in his phone’s camera shot was harder than it looked.

Peter pressed a kiss to Johnny’s cheek and felt him relax beside him. Just in time, Peter managed to find the right button and the fake shutter sound went off. 

Sitting up, Peter opened up the photo to see him kissing a rumpled Johnny on the cheek. Even from the side, Peter could tell he looked incredibly sappy. Johnny looked as gorgeous as ever, especially with that fond near smile and blond hair in a casual curly wave. Perfect.

Johnny was peering over Peter’s shoulder curiously, and batted Peter’s finger away when he tried to look at a filter. 

“What’s this for? Were you talking to Aunt May?”

Peter hummed, admiring his work for a moment longer. “Nope. I think she’ll like it anyways, though.”

Quickly, Peter uploaded the photo to his personal Twitter, adding, “ _perfect Friday night with @johnnystorm_ ♥”

Johnny was looking at Peter wide eyes. His mouth kept opening and closing, even as Peter threw his phone onto the coffee table and pulled him into his lap.

Peter carefully nuzzled at the hinge of Johnny’s jaw and said, “I promise I won’t do anything else on the internet for at least two months. Really make them want it.”

That seemed to snap Johnny out of his shock. He frowned helplessly at Peter, even as Peter took his hands.

“Why did you do that? You know that means...” 

He gnawed on his bottom lip and Peter waited patiently, before asking, “What does it mean besides maybe a new hashtag?”

Johnny looked at him miserably. “It’s not funny. It means you can’t have plausible deniability any more.”

Peter laughed before he could stop himself. “What would I need that for!”

Johnny’s fingers twisted against Peter’s for a moment before he burst out with, “You can’t say we’re not together any more! Before it was just someone snooping but now this is just--”

He took a sharp breath and looked Peter in the eye, grim faced. “You confirmed it. You can’t take that back!”

Peter gaped at him before saying, “We’re getting _married_!”

Johnny immediately fired back, “No one knows that yet!”

Peter used their joined hands to pull Johnny down against his chest with an abrupt huff of breath. Johnny struggled against him for a moment, but eventually surrendered to Peter’s arms around him.

Johnny’s breathed against his neck wetly, and Peter carefully pet down his back.

He tried to put as much conviction as he could into his voice. “I want people to know. Because this is real, and I love you.”

Johnny made a soft, sad sound and Peter continued, “You’re important.”

It hurt to think that Johnny had kept this fear even after everything. “ _Everyone always leaves,_ ” he’d said, and Peter was stupid enough to think that hadn’t included Peter too. Johnny deserved more. Deserved Peter telling everyone who would listen that Johnny was perfect and beautiful and Peter was crazy in love with him. Deserved a Peter who didn’t hesitate when it came to showing Johnny he was completely committed. 

Johnny sniffed once, and then mumbled into Peter’s chest, “I love you, too. Sorry I was being dumb.”

Another wet breath shook through him, and Peter smacked a kiss against the side of Johnny’s head.

“It was your turn coming up anyways. Means I get extra time to think up something new for my dumb.”

He levered himself upright, keeping a hold on Johnny. It was easier to see Johnny’s face now, eyes red rimmed and eyelashes still wet.

Peter kissed him properly, then asked, “Don’t you want to see people insulting me on the internet?”

That got a good laugh, and Peter thought maybe he could fix this. He was keeping Johnny, and somehow still getting a chance to keep his life together. 

Maybe that Parker Luck had shifted in his favor. 

\--

That saying about famous last words was completely and inescapably true. At least for Peter Parker. It would have been nice to be able to laugh at it as Peter grimly fought against Otto Octavius, brain against brain. Hearing that sneering voice say that he hadn’t caught on to Peter’s infatuation with the Human Torch only made him more determined to bury Otto for good.

It felt good to cut off Otto musing that Johnny Storm was an excellent specimen even if it was because he’d just destroyed his own company. Small victories were still victories.

Peter hadn’t been sure what to expect when he got back to a New York just freed from the Darkforce dome but Johnny throwing himself at him was a relief. He looked a little too pale, some grime still on his face.

“Honey, I’m home.” Peter felt he deserved to give Johnny a quick kiss, even with Pietro Maximoff standing right there. He might have heard Jan do a tiny catcall.

Johnny laughed, leaning in for a longer, more lingering kiss. He plucked at Peter’s rumpled dress shirt, a flight from China not having done it many favors.

“Bad day at the office?” Johnny raised an eyebrow when Peter winced. “Seriously, Peter, what can be worse than fighting a bunch of monsters in pitch darkness?”

Peter cleared his throat. “So you haven’t been checking the news, huh.”

Johnny gestured to the rubble around them. “Haven’t really had time to charge my phone, Pete! Been pretty busy!”

He narrowed his eyes at Peter. “How bad is it? Are you hurt?”

Johnny started feeling Peter over, looking for injuries that _wouldn’t matter_ because he had a healing factor and he didn’t want this happening while half the Unity Squad was watching.

Peter grabbed Johnny’s wrists, ignoring his glare. “Let’s just... take this back home.”

Maybe a shower and something from the freezer would save Peter from getting his eyebrows singed off. 

Johnny looked at him before huffing. “Fine. But don’t think you can distract me!”

Peter held his hands up, never mind that he had briefly entertained the idea. Johnny was going to find out eventually, and it was going to affect them in a big way. There was the very real possibility he wouldn’t want to marry the most hated man in tech any more.

The shower was nice. The tray of mac and cheese Johnny had stashed in the freezer a couple weeks ago was nicer. Peter wasn’t prepared for Johnny’s only concern to be for Peter. Worry in his eyes as he cradled Peter’s cheek and asked if he was really okay after fighting Doc Ock again.

Shame on him for ever thinking Johnny was anything but good.

The full impact of the destruction of the company didn’t really settle in until Harry told Peter all the public apologies weren’t going to cut it, no matter how sincere. They were going to have to sell everything.

“Everything like... _everything_?” 

Harry was staring grimly at a stack of papers in his hand, flipping through them quickly.

“Everything, Pete. You’re lucky they’re not going after your underwear drawer.”

Peter shook his head. “We can’t lose the Baxter. I promised to keep it safe for Johnny.”

Harry looked up at him, sympathetic. “It’s prime real estate here. And we need to pay a lot of people a lot of money. _A lot._ ”

When an Osborn said it was a lot of money, it was a lot of money. And there was nothing Peter could do, except brace himself for Johnny’s disappointment.

Peter ran a hand through his hair and sighed. “Put it off as long as you can, Harry. We’ll figure something out.”

Harry nodded. “I’ll try, but I don’t now how long I’ll be able to stand up to Liz Allen.” That was something Peter could understand.

Still, it would be easier than trying to tell Johnny he’d lost the only home he’d ever known.

Convenient that the Earth was turned into a giant intergalactic chessboard and Peter was frozen into a pigeon perch before he could worry about it for too long.

\--

Johnny flopped backwards across Peter’s lap and grinned up at him. “Now I’m the sugar daddy, baby.”

Peter snorted, and leaned down to give Johnny the kiss he was obviously angling for. When they broke apart, Peter was pretty pleased to see pink across Johnny’s cheeks. Brushing a thumb over his cheekbone, he sighed and leaned his forehead against Johnny’s.

“Sorry your billions didn’t arrive in time to save the Baxter Building.” Another heartbreak he could blame on Otto.

Johnny hummed, closing his eyes and leaning into Peter’s touch. The brilliant blue of his eyes when he opened them again struck Peter dumb for a moment, and his smile was wistful.

“Not gonna say I’m not upset about it, but… it’s always going to be home. We’ll find our way back eventually.”

Johnny stretched his arms over his head and grinned. “Besides, we’ve got the luxurious Spider Mansion.”

“You say that, but there are probably actual spiders living in the shower. Sixth generation by now.” Peter couldn’t hold in a snicker at Johnny’s disgusted face. “Back to slumming it, hot stuff! I understand if you dump me because I can’t keep you in the lavish lifestyle that you’ve become accustomed to.”

Johnny sniffed, waving a hand. “I could do with a break from the caviar and diamonds, honestly. You make up for it in other ways.”

Underneath the banter, there was a thread of honesty. Peter had never felt the weight of responsibility more than when Johnny Storm was looking at him like Peter was amazing and spectacular and a far better man than he actually was. 

That was it, though. Johnny kept Peter good, his bright star to follow. He’d be an idiot to let go of that. 

Peter rubbed at Johnny’s ring finger, pressing a kiss to his knuckles. Johnny smiled at him, a little bemused. “Thinking about selling the family jewels to pay for the wedding?”

Peter snorted, “Yeah, that collection of priceless Parker antiques. My aunt’s collection of vintage Pyrex might get us enough for a table setting if we put it up on eBay.”

“Hey, there are collectors. And I think Aunt May’s got some nice pieces.”

Johnny’s cheeky grin shifted into something more contemplative. He looked down at their joined hands, where Peter was still playing with his fingers.

“You know...” Johnny stopped, looking hesitant. Peter curled his other hand in Johnny’s hair and tugged gently.

“I know tons of stuff. Actual genius here.” Peter waggled his eyebrows at Johnny and made like he was about to list off exactly what he knew until Johnny slapped a hand over his mouth.

“As I was trying to say! Before someone decided to get all smart.” Johnny paused again, before visibly steeling himself.

He looked up at Peter, “You know I love you. And this is really important to me. More than anything.”

Johnny’s hands were shaking. Peter carefully kissed the back of his hand and waited.

Johnny cleared his throat, only a slight tremor in his voice before he continued.

“I think... even without my family here, we could get married now. City hall kind of thing, just you, me, and Aunt May.”

There was a big, rocky shaped hole there, but Peter wasn’t going to touch that right now.

Johnny was still looking at him nervously. Like Peter would ever deny him something like this.

“Sounds perfect. We’ve never done anything the normal way anyways.”

A relieved smile broke out on Johnny’s face, right up until Peter hummed and said, “I think I still have a suit somewhere that isn’t a CEO suit. Maybe even a matching tie.”

Johnny glared, smacking a hand against Peter’s chest. “You’re getting a new suit! Tailored! That’s the one thing we’re getting done right!”

“The one thing, huh!”

Johnny frowned in thought. “Flowers, I guess. And a new dress for Aunt May.”

Peter was thinking something closer to honeymoon type things, but that was nice too. Johnny had moved on to wondering aloud if they needed to have a party for their friends, (Peter didn’t want those jackals he called friends anywhere near Johnny) and Peter let himself zone out while playing with Johnny’s hair.

It felt pretty close to a happy ending.

\--

**@johnnystorm on Instagram:**

_two clasped hands with matching bands_

“the perfect day”

#married #love #wedding

**Author's Note:**

> I played fast and loose with canon because if Marvel doesn't care, neither do I! The incident May refers to where Johnny rescues her occurred in Howard the Duck. Everything else is from various bits of Amazing Spider-Man and Uncanny Avengers. Peter's love of Hostess Fruit Pies is well documented.


End file.
